In today’s world, cybersecurity is a big concern that can affect almost anyone. New malware is developed daily, and many social media accounts are hacked regularly. Since so many people use social media, this is a serious issue. The good news is that there are steps everyone can take to protect their social media accounts.

  1. It Starts with a Strong Password: The first step in securing social media accounts is to create a strong password. There are great password managers that everyone can use to keep their social media accounts safe. Strong passwords should have upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. Furthermore, advanced password managers can keep them secure, hiding them from hackers.
  2. Rotate Passwords on a Regular Basis: Next, it is important to rotate passwords for social media accounts on a regular basis. Try to come up with a schedule and rotate passwords every 60 or 90 days. Of course, if someone has their social media accounts hacked, then they need to change their passwords immediately.
  3. Rely on Two-Factor Authentication: When possible, use two-factor authentication for every social media account. Lots of apps are adding two-factor authentication, so look for this feature. This means having two separate ways to access an account instead of just a password. For example, this might include a text message, phone call, or physical email that has to be verified before the account is unlocked. This might even include a fingerprint or voice command in advanced cases.
  4. Trust a Strong VPN: There are lots of ways for people to steal information using an internet connection. With a VPN, this will provide you with online privacy and anonymity, masking your IP address. This can make your online actions almost untraceable and keep your social media accounts safe.
  5. Keep Most Information Offline: While social media accounts are fun, there is no reason to fill them up with personal information. Nobody wants to have their personal information snatched from a social media account. Therefore, try to keep all personal information offline. This includes items such as your phone number, email address, physical address, birthday, and more. Also, remember to sign out of social media accounts when not using them and never copy and paste passwords to prevent them from being stolen.
  6. Use a Unique Email Address for Social Media Accounts: A lot of damage from hacking social media accounts comes from stealing email addresses and using them to access personal information. Do not let this happen. Instead, use a secondary email address for all social media accounts. That way, if the email address gets stolen, the damage is far more limited.
  7. Do Not Click on Unknown or Shortened Links: Finally, one of the biggest threats to social media accounts today involves phishing. Sometimes, these might even be spear-phishing attacks, which are designed to target a single person with a convincing email. Do not click on unknown or shortened links. They could be designed to steal information. Furthermore, even for links that look familiar, hover over the URL and make sure the actual link matches the text on the screen. This can prevent hackers from accessing social media accounts.

These are a few of the key steps that everyone can take to secure their social media accounts. By taking these steps ahead of time, it is possible to prevent these attacks from taking place. Everyone has to make sure they protect their online activity and identity from being stolen.